Despite increasing evidence of its involvement in several key functions of the cerebral cortex, the vestibular sense rarely enters our consciousness. Indeed, the extent to which these internal signals are incorporated within cortical sensory representation and how they might be relied upon for sensory-driven decision-making, during, for example, spatial navigation, is yet to be understood. Recent novel experimental approaches in rodents have probed both the physiological and behavioral significance of vestibular signals and indicate that their widespread integration with vision improves both the cortical representation and perceptual accuracy of self-motion and orientation. Here, we summarize these recent findings with a focus on cortical circuits involved in visual perception and spatial navigation and highlight the major remaining knowledge gaps. We suggest that vestibulo-visual integration reflects a process of constant updating regarding the status of self-motion, and access to such information by the cortex is used for sensory perception and predictions that may be implemented for rapid, navigation-related decision-making.

中文翻译：

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前庭和视觉线索的皮层整合，用于导航、视觉处理和感知

尽管越来越多的证据表明前庭感觉参与大脑皮层的几个关键功能，但它很少进入我们的意识。事实上，这些内部信号在多大程度上被纳入皮质感觉表征中，以及在空间导航等过程中如何依赖它们来进行感觉驱动的决策，尚待了解。最近在啮齿类动物中进行的新颖实验方法探讨了前庭信号的生理和行为意义，并表明它们与视觉的广泛整合提高了皮层表征以及自我运动和方向的感知准确性。在这里，我们总结了这些最新发现，重点关注涉及视觉感知和空间导航的皮层回路，并强调了剩余的主要知识差距。我们认为，前庭视觉整合​​反映了关于自我运动状态的不断更新的过程，并且皮层对此类信息的访问用于感官知觉和预测，可用于快速、导航相关的决策。